Simply Too Clever, Sifteo Gaming Cubes, Is This The End of 2D Board Games

Sifteo Cubes are the new kid on the toy/game block, the first generation of  ’Smart Toys’. More than just an toy or educational tool the Cubes are Smart Toys that can be re-programmed to be anything you could imagine. Combining the old school Monopoly interface with the brains of a 32bit processor and  the latest sensor technology this new generation of ‘Smart Toy’ will bring gaming back to the coffee table, the return of the human interface in gaming. The Cubes come in packs of three with each Cube having a 1.5″ display, sensors, cpu  and wireless comms. Each 1.5″ Cube is gifted with the latest sensors including; touch sensors, motion sensors, proximity and contact sensors. Games are able to use each of the available sensors any way they wish. This cleverness Sifteo has implemented makes the system extremely flexible for developers, the way the sensors are used is only limited by the developers imagination, expect new fun ways to evolve over time. After making a splash at CES and taking home Innovation awards Sifteo Cubes are about to burst into a gadget and toy stores everywhere. β★β Checkout the Video -> READ MORE

Funkinwagnill: Fact # 000949

The Centennial Light: The World’s longest running lightbulb – A Shelby Bulb –  is celebrating its 110th birthday on June 18. In its role as night-light for the firetrucks – who would have guessed fire trucks where scared of the dark – it has operated almost continuously for its entire life, only being switched off a number of times early on, to be moved.

Known as a Shelby bulb after the town in Ohio that it was manufactured in the bulb was a revolution for its time.  After emigrating to the USA in 1892 electrical engineer Adolphe A. Chaillet started the Shelby Electrical Company, with business partners. Shelby was operating by 1896.  A new manufacturing technique and the bulb filament were used to produce the Shelby bulb, all developed by Chaillet.  The coiled filament carbon lamp burned brighter than other bulbs at the time and had better directional properties, this became the basis of the Shelby bulbs success.

The Centennial Light has faced its fair share of controversy, with many people speculating that the long-lasting filaments could be produced today but for the fact that the manufacturing companies wouldn’t be so profitable, did GE buy the technology and shelve it? The Shelby Electric Company that produced the bulbs was absorbed into GE – General Electric – in 1914. Shelby had already moved away from the original coiled carbon filaments as used in the Centennial bulb, Tungsten had been introduced and allowed much cheaper and brighter bulbs to be produced. While the Centennial Bulb was originally rated at 60 watts it is down to 4 watts due to its age. So the answer to the controversial question ‘Could we all have light bulbs that last 100 years ?”. Yes we could but we would be paying $30 a bulb and sitting in the relative darkness of the low light output of carbon.

With its own website and publicity for its 110th birthday this is also the most famous light bulb in the world. Anyone can visit the light, just ring the bell at the back of the station and the fireman on duty will show you around. It’s good to see a celebrity that hasn’t let fame go to its head. Happy birthday you plucky little bulb, keep on keeping those firetrucks safe.

How Well Do You Snorkel Upside Down?

Generally at Grilled we write up stuff that goes fast, high, or  cuts the edge of some form of technology. We don’t often waste our time on products that are intended to go slow. Calm inducing products aren’t our thing! Until Now?! Picture yourself snorkeling the turquoise waters of your nearest tropical resort, you look up and floating gently passed you is someones bum – hope you vision isn’t a fat, white German bum – what you just watched glide over the top of you was Clear Blue Hawaii’s Molokini Kayak! . This little tub is too cool, why someone hasn’t done this before is a little baffling.  The Molokini is an all transparent two passenger kayak made out of the same durable polycarbonate material used in the production of bulletproof glass and fighter jet canopies M★C READ MORE